AJ Jennings
2016 Australian Paralympic team portrait | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Full name | Amanda Jane Jennings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nationality | Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | (1971-10-07) 7 October 1971 (age 52) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Paracanoe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Disability class | KL3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
|
Amanda Jane "AJ" Jennings (formerly Reynolds,[1] born 7 October 1971)[2] is an Australian paracanoeist who has won two gold medals at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships. She won a silver medal in the Women's 200m KL3 at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.[3][4]
Personal
Jennings was born on 7 October 1971 and lives in Macclesfield, Victoria.[2] In April 2012, Jennings underwent elective surgery to amputate the lower part of her right leg.[5] For 20 years before the amputation, Jennings lived with depression, chronic pain and an addiction to prescriptive drugs following complications from a dislocated knee.[5] In reflecting to life after the amputation, Jennings commented: "Everybody's got the opportunity. You've just got to have the courage to take it."[5]
She is an Equine Sports Therapist. Jennings is married to Wayne and they have two children.[6]
Sporting career
Jennings is classified as KL3 paracanoeist. Reynolds paddling career started with the Murray Marathon[2] and participated in the 2013 Sale to Sea Disability Kayak Challenge.[7] In 2014, she won the K1 200 m, K1 500 m and 1000 m LTA events at the National and Oceania Championships. In her world championships debut, she won the bronze medal in the Women's K1 200 m LTA at the 2014 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Moscow, Russia. At the 2015 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Milan, Italy, she won the gold medal in the Women's K–1 200 m KL3.[8]
At the 2016 ICF Paracanoe World Championships, Duisburg, Germany, she won the silver medal in the Women's 200 m KL3.[9] A month prior to the championships, she underwent an appendix operation.[10] She won a silver medal in the 200m KL3 at the 2016 Rio Paralympics where paracanoe made it Paralympics debut.[4]
At the 2017 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships, Račice, Czech Republic, she won the gold medal in Women's KL2 200m.[11] After a year of battling injury, Reynolds at 2018 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships, Montemor-o-Velho, won the silver medal in the Women's KL3 200m.[12]
At the 2019 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships, Szeged, Hungary, she finished seventh in the Women's KL3 200m.[13]
At the 2020 Summer Paralympics, Jennings finished fifth in her Heat and eighth in the Women's KL3 semi-final and did not advance to the final.[14]
Jennings is a Victorian Institute of Sport scholarship holder and was originally coached by Steve Vegh and Mark Dougall.[2] In 2015, she moved to the Gold Coast, Queensland to work closer with National Para-canoe Head Coach Andrea King.[15] She named her new sprint canoe "Douglas" or "Doug" after two people that have inspired her - boxer James 'buster' Douglas and pilot Douglas Bader.[15]
Recognition
In 2015 and 2016, she was awarded the People's Choice Award at the Australian Canoeing Awards.[16][17]
References
- ^ "AJ Jennings". Paralympics Australia. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Amanda Reynolds". Australian Canoeing website. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
- ^ "World Champions headline first Australian Paralympic Canoe Team". Australian Paralympic Committee News, 16 June 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ^ a b "Amanda Reynolds". Rio Paralympics Official site. Archived from the original on 22 September 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
- ^ a b c O'Sullivan, Karen (13 May 2014). "Vic amputee chases Paralympic dream". 7News Melbourne. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
- ^ Bills, Rebecca (4 July 2014). "Amanda Reynolds has been selected for the Australian Paraylmpic Team". Rangers Trader. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
- ^ "Sale to Sea challenge conquered". Gippsland Times. 18 March 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
- ^ "Reynolds wina Australia's first gold at World Championships". Australian Canoeing News, 21 August 2015. Archived from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ^ "McGrath snaps Swoboda's Worlds winning streak". International Paralympic Committee website. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
- ^ "Another Honour for Reynolds (AUS)". International Canoe Federation website. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
- ^ "Golden day for Australia at Para-canoe World Championships". Australian Paralympic Committee News, 265 August 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
- ^ "Silver Comeback For Amanda Reynolds". Paddle Australia website. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
- ^ "Australia Finishes Success World Champs With More Tickets To Tokyo". Paddle Australia website. 26 August 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
- ^ "Australia Names Experienced Para-Canoe Squad For Tokyo". Paralympics Australia. 5 June 2021. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ a b "Reynolds inspired by war-time pilot in quest for Paralympic selection". Australian Paralympic Committee News, 11 February 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
- ^ "2015 Australian Canoeing Award Winners". Australian Canoeing website. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
- ^ "2016 Australian Canoeing Award Winners". Australian Canoeing website. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
External links
- AJ Jennings on X
- AJ Jennings at Paralympics Australia
- Amanda Jennings at the International Canoe Federation
- Amanda Reynolds at Paddle Australia (archive)
- Amanda Reynolds at the International Paralympic Committee
- v
- t
- e
- Sam Carter
- Aaron Chatman
- Jaryd Clifford
- Gabriel Cole
- Richard Colman
- Brayden Davidson
- Guy Henly
- Todd Hodgetts
- Nicholas Hum
- Kurt Fearnley
- Deon Kenzie
- Jake Lappin
- Rheed McCracken
- Sam McIntosh
- Evan O'Hanlon
- Chad Perris
- Scott Reardon
- Michael Roeger
- Jayden Sawyer
- Russell Short
- Brad Scott
- James Turner
- Jesse Wyatt
- Rae Anderson
- Angie Ballard
- Carlee Beattie
- Erin Cleaver
- Tamsin Colley
- Brianna Coop
- Christie Dawes
- Madison de Rozario
- Taylor Doyle
- Jodi Elkington-Jones
- Louise Ellery
- Nicole Harris
- Madeleine Hogan
- Isis Holt
- Torita Isaac
- Claire Keefer
- Rosemary Little
- Brydee Moore
- Jemima Moore
- Ella Pardy
- Kath Proudfoot
- Sarah Walsh
- Daniel Michel
- Ashlee McClure (Ramp Assistant)
- Kyle Bridgwood
- Carol Cooke
- Alistair Donohoe
- David Edwards (pilot)
- Matthew Formston
- Jessica Gallagher
- Madison Janssen (pilot)
- Simone Kennedy
- Alexandra Lisney
- Kieran Modra
- David Nicholas
- Amanda Reid
- Susan Powell
- Stuart Tripp
- Nick Yallouris (pilot)
- Emma Booth
- Sharon Jarvis
- Lisa Martin
- Katie Umback
- Dylan Littlehales
- Curtis McGrath
- Colin Sieders
- Jocelyn Neumueller
- Amanda Reynolds
- Susan Seipel
- Nic Beveridge
- Bill Chaffey
- Brant Garvey
- Kate Doughty
- Katie Kelly
- Michellie Jones (guide)
- Claire McLean
- Gavin Bellis
- Erik Horrie
- Brock Ingram
- Jeremy McGrath
- Josephine Burnand
- Davinia Lefroy
- Kathleen Murdoch
- Kathryn Ross
- Matthew Bugg
- Daniel Fitzgibbon
- Liesl Tesch
- Russell Boaden
- Colin Harrison
- Jonathan Harris
- Luke Cain
- Bradley Mark
- Chris Pitt
- Anton Zappelli
- Libby Kosmala
- Natalie Smith
- Miro Sipek
- Joshua Alford
- Michael Anderson
- Jesse Aungles
- Liam Bekric
- Blake Cochrane
- Rowan Crothers
- Timothy Disken
- Daniel Fox
- Matthew Haanappel
- Brenden Hall
- Guy Harrison-Murray
- Timothy Hodge
- Braedan Jason
- Ahmed Kelly
- Matthew Levy
- Jeremy McClure
- Rick Pendleton
- Logan Powell
- Sean Russo
- Liam Schluter
- Jacob Templeton
- Emily Beecroft
- Ellie Cole
- Katja Dedekind
- Maddison Elliott
- Tanya Huebner
- Jenna Jones
- Paige Leonhardt
- Ashleigh McConnell
- Monique Murphy
- Lakeisha Patterson
- Madeleine Scott
- Tiffany Thomas Kane
- Rachael Watson
- Prue Watt
- Kate Wilson
- Brendan Keogh
- Ryley Batt
- Chris Bond
- Cameron Carr
- Andrew Edmondson
- Nazim Erdem
- Ben Fawcett
- Andrew Harrison
- Josh Hose
- Jason Lees
- Matt Lewis
- Ryan Scott
- Jayden Warn
- Brad Dubberley